Ball valve



1o' ter describe jin detailrelates generally tor pump. valves, andAparticularly to. ball vali/resj l ToaZZ wlwm t may concern; Y.

Patented Nee. 4,1924

. uNiTED* STA 'rE-s PATENT `ol? FICE.

ROBERT w. GUNN AND WILnsIE as. THoMrsoN, or nos ANGELES, cALIronNu.

' BALL VALVE.l o

Be it known'j that we, fRoEirr W. GUNN and 1WII'JLsrE Af S. THOMPSON,citizens of thejUnitedStates, and residents ofthe `city ,tifIoS"'Angeles,-county of Los Angeles, and f f-Stateuof '(valifornia, havejointly invented new ,Y and useful Improvements flin Ball l(Valves, ofwhich the following-1s a full, clear, and exact disclosure.

' Our. invention-.which We will hereinafffof'the typel'commonlyused inconnection with' oil...well pumping apparatus"and the .15..

like. Speciicallyfit pertains to a'ball guide,

. designedto conduce to quick andl accurate seating of the ball; theexpress object* of fwhich is to minimize cutting out of the ball seatfbysand and grit, resulting from slow and uneven seating of the ball at thebeginguide, our improvement is designed to, also take'up` some of thevalvular work by clos- .ing the valve passage to a certain exten-t,

and thereby minimizing possibility of the f ball being held ofi"v itsseat during its closing time, due to' high velcity of the oil escapingback into thegtubing.

The merits of i'the invention will be more fully lascertained from thefollowing speciication, reference being .made therein to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is la transverse verticalsection. through the center of a typical ball valve, parts being shownin elevation and shows.` ing the applicationof our invention thereto;Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1 only showing the ball guide in sideelevation; Fig. 3

is 'a sectional plan view, -taken asindicated A ley-"the line 3--3 onFig. 1; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, similar to Figs. 1 and2, only showing a slightly different type ofball guide; and Fig. 5 is asectional planview, taken as indicated by the line 5--5 .on Fig. 4.

Referring 'now to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, wehave illus- .trated a typical ball valve assembly, com-v monly used inoil well pumping apparatus, consisting of a three wing upper cage 10,

" a ball seat-11, a plunger bushing 12, yand a fragmentary portion ofthe upper end 'of a plunger 13.

-he cage 10, being an upper cage, has the usual externally screwthreaded pin 14, for

Application led March 18, 1922. Serial N9. 544,817.

'itsattachment to thef lower eiid of a hsucker rod; and thlee wings 15,integrall/'joined at their lower ends to an interna y screw threadedsleeve portion 16; the latter adapte d` to screw threadedly receive`theexternally screw` threaded upper end 17 of the plunger bushing 12. Thisupper end 17, of the plunger bushing 12, is also internally ception ofthe annular ball seat theJ purpose. e. In order that it may beimv'movablyylocked in place tlieball seat 11 lhas an annular rib 18around its periphery, spaced` a short distance down from its top `face19; and this rib lits snugly in any an-l nular 'recess 20 cut intheinnen` lupperfedge of the 4plunger bushing 12. The cage sleeve 16 has ashoulder 21 adapted to engage the rib 18 vwhen the valve seat 11 is inplace to hold it against working loose.

The top endof the plunger 13 is internally screw threaded for`engagement -with theexternally screw threaded lower end 22, of theplunger bushing/'12. rIhe plunger bushing 12 is of the usualconstruction,y h avin flattened surfaces 23 intermediate its wen s, forthe reception of a. suitable wrench, by means of which it is screwthreadedly connected with the plunger and ball cage. "The ball seat 11is of the usual type of construction,y being annular and havlng an axialcylindrical bore 24, through which the oil passes; and having its upperinner edge beveledas at l25--to form a ground seat for the reception ofa steel ball 26, in th manner illustrated in Fig. 6. l

. Under ordinary conditions during reciprocation of this valvein theworking barrel, the ball 2,6 is raised from the seat 25 by the upwardpressureof the oil during its downward stroke, and again seated by theweight of this oil at the beginningof its upward stroke.. As will beobserved the annular seat 25 is situated concentrically. of the wings15; and the ball 26 i`s of a sizeto permit its-lateral movement out ofaxial alignment with the seat 25 whenit is raised therefrom. This is to'obviate possibility of the ball becoming wedged'within the wings l bysand f or rocks, preventing it from again propeily seating during itsupward stroke. This permitted looseness of the ball within the cage, byreasonof its size, commonly results'in its improper seating at thebeginning of the upward stroke, so that 28 and guide sleeve 29, are soformed land raie-,ejes

when the pressure or weight of the oil causesV :Eiga 2, the ball 26 willbe carried by the it to drop down on the seat 25 it generally tablel 28v(restingfintheI seat 31) and the en-`v strikes it od center resulting'in the chip vgagernentfQflthe ball wth'thenpper end of',l ping andbreaking awayv of the seat surface vthe cage'm'ay also serve to limitthe upward. 25. Also when the ball improperly seats or moyenien't Vof'the' guide without depending 70 strikes the xseat ed center thevelocity of) uponengagementof the shoulder 33" with the the oil rushingback thro-ugh the bore/24,1be-'y ylower seat end f v l l tween the seatsurface 2,5 and that portion n From theiforegoing/ description itis obofthe perimeter of the ball which/ is unseat- 'violijs `how the'oilwithinthe workingbarrel ed, results in cutting away ofthe seat'surof the,pumpiiwilljraise "thejguiwde 247j by`\`i1 n.'7 5 face 25 by the sand orgrit in th'e oil. A Thus f pingihg againsfthe under surface of thecertainportions of the seat surface'f25 begin table 28 duringd'ownward'movemlentiof the* vto wear and this wear is increased byaconv,Valve,`xfrtom theipositionfshownjn: ltto centrated pencil of oilcontinuing to pass ythat shown infllig. And-itis alsocleay over thatcertain spot. lt is therefore-the how thejguidegwillfralise the ball 2(3o'f'itsf80 foremost object of our inventiom'tgpropseat25'andcarrytupwardiy whileresting-i` erly guide the ball to its seat andavoidthis v in the' seatu 31L Y Also asnfquickly as'ftli'ey cagetendency of its striking the seat off center; movesupwardly the-weight4"of the AAoil on i preventing chipping of the44 seat, and avoid:I topof the ballffan'cl Qt'able "andythefsuction I ing, as far as possible,any concentrated below. .will causal-the)vr uide member `21"? t9 .8 5wear of the seat at anypa'rticular point. move downwardly ing-t efboi"es 24\ai 1fd l32,;as That form of our invention which we havehereinbefore described','.,Iwherejit willf" .be illustrated in Figs. 1and 2, comprisesla ball stopped bythe bttomledgei', ofthe guide fguide-generally designated by the numeral Seatf 29,feng'agingan vannularishoulde'ifj" 27-having an .upper ball carrying tablev l foriii'edwin-fthelobwer end.'oftheihu'Shing''12.) 90

28 and a lower guide sleeve 29 connected by As the table'28- movesdownwardly-'fin they a plurality of integral longitudinally e'ir-vbore24,lL thepball' 26 will '-be accurately' and' tending ribs 30.` Thetable 28 may be of any' centrally Nseated in the j annular seat 25K-(as,desired thickness; being circular or disk-like i shown .in LFig. theguide movingdown f to slide axially n the bore 24; and having aWsuiiiciently far for thef'table l28 to leave the 95 concaved recess 31in its topV facein whichv ball 26 thus seatedand 'S0 vthat, .seat'i 1will the ball 26 will seat. The recess 31 will conbe spaced slightlyfrom the. peri eterlof form to the perimeter Iof the ball and isv forthe' ball when thus se ted.' This obviates the purpose of providing asuitableseat for possibility of the 1ball being held4 ofits seat 100 it,which will prevent its rolling' ofi', when by the guide 27. A A

it is carried above theyseat 25. The table As the guidefmoves downinffthe bores 24 /28 lits suliiciently tight in the bore'24't0 and 32,the table'28 on passingthe top edge properly guide itjand preventbinding, and4V 19 of the seat'11, will firstcut ofi' return at the sametime permits such freedom of passage of the oil through the bore 24, sor movement that it may be easily"raised byA that when the ball 26 isleft inO the seat 25-105 the oil pressure during its downward'stroke. bydownward. movement of the guide, it not The guide sleeve 29 likewisefits cOmpaI'aonly will be accurately and centrally seated,

' tively loosely in the bore 32, of the bushing @but there will be noside pressure created by 12, to permit it toslide freely therein; thehigh velocity ofoil passing between the seat peripheral diameter of'this portion being 25 and the perimeter of the ball to hold it off 110slightly greater than the peripheral'diaiile-l its seat or to cause anyconcentrated wear terof the table 28, So that the ShOuldr of the seat,as previously described. Also, formed by its top edge 33 will engagethe, this carrying upwardly` and seating 'in the bottom end 34 of theballtseat'andlimit its ball ,l y.the'guide prevents mutilation of therupward movement. The ribs 30, which are balll by its striking the top ofthe cage or preferably formed integral with the table its bingzforciblyseated. v

y In'the formpof construction illustrated inf positioned that theirouter edges form slid- Figs. 4-'and 5, the table 28n is carried upon aing guide bearings in the bore 24 to guide central pin 37, which pin isreduced: at its the upper end of this member when the tabler lower end,as at 37, and extends through a 120 28 is raised, as illustrated in Fig.2. The guide bearing 38 in -a spider 39; the latter lengths 0f thellOSgO are Such that when the formed, integral with the plunger bushingshoulder 33 is in engagement with the lower 121 The shoulder 40 formedbetween the ball seat end 34 the table 28 will be 'raised pins 37 and37a engages the top face of the clear of the upper end 19 (asshownin'Fig. bearing 38 to limit the downward Inove- 125 2) so that voilmay pass upwardly'through ment of the guide in this form of constructheguide sleeve 29 and outwardlymover the ltion. A plurality of guide ribs30a, Aprefed e 19' between the ribs. i t will be noted that when/theball guide moves upwardly' to the position shown in ferably lformedintegral with the table `28a and the pin 37, extend outwardly from the'latter in a cruciform` configuration (See Fig. 5), their outer edgesforming sliding guide bearings 5in, bore 24a of the ball seat 11a. Withthis type of construction the upward movement of the guide 27la islimited by the ball 26 engaging the top of the cage, as hereiubeforedescribed. Therefore," the length of the guide ribs 30a will be suchthat when the ball 26 carried by the table 28 is in engagement with thetop ot' the cage, these ribs will be in engagement at their lower endswith the perimeter of the bore 24a, asillustrated in Fig. 4. Thus theribs 30a and stem 37a sliding in the bore 24"L and bearing 38,respectively, provide proper guides for permitting this sliding movementof the guide. It is to be noted that this form of guide is particularlyadapted to constructions wherein the bores 24:a and 32a are of the samediameter.

While we have herein shown and described the preferred specic embodimentof our invention, we nevertheless reserve the right to make such otherchanges or modifications in structure which may properly come within thescope of the ap ended claim.

Havmg describe a preferred form of our invention, we claim:

vIn a valve, a cage and a seat with a fluid passage through the seat, aloose valve adapted to seat on the seat and to move bodily oil` the'seatin a direction axial of the iuid passage, and an axially movable guideland carrier for the valve slidable in the Huid. passage, said guide andcarrier having a part that normally and substantially closes the passagewhen the valve is on the seat, so that fluid pressure in the passageunder the guide and carrier will press upon the guide and carrier toraise itA to a' point Where its said part is out of the fluid passage,and to raise the valve off the seat.

In witness that we claim thev foregoing we have hereunto subscribed ournames this 11 day of March, 1922.

R. W. GUNN. WILLSIE A. S. THOMPSON.

